Join
dozens of visionaries in
media, politics, education and technology . "above-the-crowd"
individuals -- as we examine and perhaps help mold the future and
sustainability of journalism, democracy, and communities in the Internet
age. Meet visionaries outside of your normal sphere -- "cross-over"
briefly to another viewpoint and hatch fresh ideas, fresh solutions. Come
to participate and plan . . . to connect . . . not just listen.

Each
day is different. Attend the one-day, "Future of Journalism"
roundtable
summit on Thursday. Then choose -- or mix and match -- among four
tracks
on Friday and Saturday themed to citizen media, politics, education and
technology.For the full schedule,
download the program at:http://www.mediagiraffe.org/program.pdf
, or go to http://www.mediagiraffe.org/register/
. Both will be updated regularly until the summit begins.The event is a terrific opportunity to get a quick grounding on the
forces affecting what we all read and see in the media . . . how
media-literacy education might improve the situation . . . and what the
impact is on the political and public-policy spheres.

Twenty-seven
sessions . . . more than 50 panelist and speakers. . . special tracks on citizen
filmmaking and citizen
media . . . and on how to educate smart media consumers and creators .
. . a seminar to envision
the newsroom of the future . . . a talk by White House columnist Helen
Thomas . . . the latest on news industry research, andInternet entrepreneurship . . . all coming together right before the
230th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

There's
an exclusive "Media Cafe" for informal talking and scheming . . . an
ice-cream social to perk up Friday afternoon . . . a live teleconference
with Philadelphia citizens as its daily papers pass from chain to local
hands in an historic shift . . . a wired
1,400 campus in between semesters . . .and a region brimming with arts,
culture and outdoor activities waiting after the summit winds up on
Saturday, July 1 at noon.

WHO'S
SPEAKING?

Keynote speakers Wed.-Saturday include on Wednesday, White House press-corps dean and
author of a new book, Helen Thomas; on Thursday Pulitzer-prizing-winning web editor Jon
Donley of the New Orleans Times-Picayune and former Christian Science Monitor
Publisher Stephen Gray and, on Friday, Common Cause President Chellie Pingree.

Sponsors include The Boston
Globe (and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette), the New England Press
Association, MassLive/The
[Springfield] Republican, and Omidyar Network, in addition to UMass.

TWELVE REASONS TO ATTEND

Here's a sampling of 12 key events which are part of
"Democracy & Independence: Sharing News & Politics in a
Connected World."

1)A free public talk and book signing by veteran White House columnist
Helen Thomas starting at 5:00 p.m. on Wed., June 28 in the Campus Center Reading Room. In the
evening, Thomas will speak briefly again, setting the tone for our
dinner-and-discussion session: "Will journalism continue to be
relevant?
How? In what form?" along with Marty Baron of the Boston Globe, Teresa
Hanafin of Boston.com and
others.

2)At 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, a keynote talk by Steve
Gray, the former publisher of the Christian
Science Monitor, who is now directing a $2-million study and pilot
program for American Press Institute called "Newspaper Next". His
topic: "Innovate, Die Or Be Sold: A Prescription for the News
Company of
the Future".

3)
At 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, Jon Donley, web editor for the Pulitzer
Prize-winning New Orleans Times-Picayune, will join a panel "Finding a
New Definition of Journalism." After, he'll engage in a dialog with
Cooper Munro, co-manager of a Katrina relief blog, about how the worst
natural disaster in recent U.S. history illuminates the new information
ecology.
4) During and after lunch on Thursday, we tackle what may be the most important issue now facing U.S. newspapers and
broadcasters -- is Congress about to put the telcommunication industry in control of the content which flows across the
"press" of the future -- the public
Internet? Author, attorney and Consumer Federation of America researcher Mark Cooper will direct the
discussion, entitled: "When the Press Becomes a Pipe, Who Controls?"

5)On Thursday afternoon, a Citizens
Filmmaking Workshop & Festival for people who know how to use a
video camera, but want to learn how to take the next step of editing and
putting their work online -- as part of the emerging citizen's media
movement.

6)
Ownership of
the Philadelphia newspapers
is scheduled to change hands on Thurs., June 29. Corante Media Hub's Vin
Crosbie and New York University Prof. Jay Rosen will help us take a look after Thursday dinner at
whether ownership forms make a difference in the way media organizations view and execute a responsibility to
inform the public.

7)
At 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Common Cause President Chellie Pingree will keynote
a panel on "The Internet as an Organizing Tool." She'll be joined by
Josh Silver, director of FreePress.NET, Aldon Hynes, of the Ned Lamont
Senate campaign in Connecticut; and veteran campaign strategist Richard
Viguerie, of ConservativeHQ.com. In 2004, the Internet took the main stage as a political organizing tool for U.S.
political strategists. Learn what.s going on behind the scenes to make the 2008 presidential race an order of magnitude
closer to .digital democracy. . and what role citizens will play.

8)On Friday and Saturday, Steven Silha and Chris Peck bring the
acclaimed "Journalism
That Matters," seminar to the Media Giraffe Summit. It's a
structured "Open
Circle"
process for news professionals and other stakeholders. Participants invent
projects with the potential to sustain civic, watchdog journalism in the
news organizations of the future.

9)At 11 a.m. on Friday, 10 Jordanian and 10 Vermont teen-agers
visiting the Media Giraffe summit will
show and discuss video
clips from a two-month digital storytelling exchange called MEDIA -
"Media Education and Democracy In Action." On Saturday,
they will also summarize their reaction -- and teens -- to what
they've learned about the future of journalism from the MGP summit.
MEDIA is funded in
part by the U.S. State Department.

10)Friday.s luncheon talk and discussion will be a provocative challenge from veteran daily newspaper editor
Tom
Stites, incoming associate editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Center
for Public Integrity, where he will edit the center's "Buying of
the
President, 2008" coverage. His topic: "Is Media Performance
Democracy's Critical Issue?" He'll make the claim that part of the reason America.s newspapers are losing readers
is because they.ve forgotten who their readers are and what they really want to read.

11)At noon on Friday,Open
Source Radio host Christopher
Lydon will lead a planning session for his idea of "The New
England
Common," a web-based journal of politics, culture, environment and
engagement.

12)After dinner on Friday, Rob
Williams, Ph.D., professor, Champlain College, and president of the Action
Coalition on Media Education, will explore ways news organizations, bloggers and others can help youth to
become smarter media consumers and creators.
After his talk: "Why Doesn't Johnny
Care? How Media Can Bring Young Adults Back into the Public
Sphere?" he'll talk with three media educators.

A
single registration of $395 includes the entire program, and all meals
from Wednesday evening through Saturday lunch.For lodging,
you can choose economical dormitory living, for $28/night per person double
or $33/night for a private room -- both with shared bath. Or stay in
the
Campus Center Hotel at $85-$105/night.

There.s
even a less-expensive food option for the budget conscious. Pay for meals
a-la-carte at the campus BlueWall
cafeteria -- or bring your own -- and you can register for all
conference
events, including receptions and seating at after-meal discussions, for
$250.Simply write
"no-food-$250" in the "other information" field when registering
online.

SINGLE
DAY

For
drive-in, single-day attendance without food, registration is $95 per day
for Thursday, Friday or Saturday.Some
stipend assistance may be available.Email
conference@mediagiraffe.org
to arrange this option.

ABOUT
THE MEDIA GIRAFFE PROJECT

The Media Giraffe Project is a non-partisan research effort of the
journalism program at UMass Amherst. We are finding and spotlighting
"above-the-crowd" individuals making innovative, sustainable use
of media to foster participatory democracy and community. Our online
database of "giraffe prospects" has over 320 entries.

We plan a book, and one-hour documentary film for classroom and educational
use, which uses "giraffes" as examples to inspire youth and
adults to become smarter media consumers and creators. The initiative began
in April 2005. For more information see:
http://www.mediagiraffe.org/links/

"The Media Giraffe Project was launched with the collaboration of The Giraffe Heroes
Project, a separate
organization that since 1982 has been moving people to stick their necks out for the common good."
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